Jun. 27, 2008

Stroke of Insight

Approximately 780,000 strokes will occur this year, according to the National Stroke Association -- and over 160,000 people in the US will die of a stroke, making it the third leading cause of death in the country after heart disease and cancer. In this segment, guest host Joe Palca talks with Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain scientist who suffered a stroke in 1996 at the age of 37.

A stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery or the blood flow to part of the brain is interrupted by a burst blood vessel. A stroke can cause the death of cells in the affected area of the brain, leading to brain damage. In Taylor's case, she suffered a type of stroke known as an arterio-venous malformation, which created a golf ball size hemorrhage that placed pressure on the language centers in the left hemisphere of her brain. Taylor has written a book about her personal experiences with stroke, and the process of recovery that followed.